A 22-year Macy's employee who was going to retire next week has been arrested on suspicion of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise from the Fashion Fair store, police said.
Richard Norton, 47, of Fresno was arrested Monday on suspicion of embezzlement, but he posted $5,000 bail to get out of jail, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Friday at a news conference.
Norton made $16,000 a year putting up store displays. But his home on Garland Avenue near Dakota and West avenues showed he lived an expensive lifestyle, Dyer said.
He had several cars and about $157,000 in cash in a home safe, Dyer said.
Armed with a warrant, officers went to Norton's home and found hundreds of top-end purses and handbags, fine crystal, designer jeans, expensive perfumes and other stolen merchandise from Macy's, Dyer said.
Dyer said Norton sold the stolen merchandise on eBay and Craigslist.
A Macy's loss-prevention agent began investigating Norton in mid-September, Dyer said. On Sept. 28, the agent -- while viewing security-camera monitors -- saw Norton leave the store with items stuffed in his clothing, Dyer said.
The agent confronted Norton and discovered he had several purses in his pants, Dyer said. Inside Norton's car were more than 30 purses, Dyer said.
According to Dyer, Norton confessed to stealing from Macy's for the past four years. Norton estimated that the merchandise he stole was worth $175,000. But Macy's officials said more than $300,000 worth of items had been stolen from 2007 to 2008. Of that, about $220,000 was from the theft of purses, Dyer said.
The stolen goods inside Norton's home included more than 500 purses, Dyer said. The total theft was $300,000 to $400,000, Dyer said.
Dyer said Norton is an unusual theft suspect -- he has no criminal record and is not addicted to drugs. He had given his two-week notice to quit Macy's last week.
Dyer said that if the Macy's agent hadn't caught Norton, he could have retired without being prosecuted.
"Luck was on our side," Dyer said.
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